Corporate MemberAH&T Insurance provides a wide range of services for nonprofits and for profits in the areas of property and casualty, employee benefits, surety bonds, farm and equine, and personal insurance.

Volunteers of America Chesapeake'sRuss Snyder wrote about the impact of mental health investments in The Gazette. "For three consecutive years there has been no increase to Medicaid, forcing us to use fewer employees to provide the same high-quality services to more clients."

Kim Klein, noted nonprofit fundraiser and author of Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times, suggests that the charitable giving tax deduction should go, according to her op-ed in the Nonprofit Quarterly.

THINK TWICE UPDATE:

MD & VA: The state house takes center stage in the coming weeks, as the Maryland and Virginia budgets work their way through the General Assembly. In Maryland, Gov. O'Malley's FY12 budget proposal gets a quick analysis from the Maryland Budget & Tax Policy Institute. Virginia Governor McDonnell's proposed budget amendments are summarized here.

DC: In the District of Columbia, the Mayor's proposed budget isn't expected until mid-March - though some reports have suggested the FY12 gap could approach $600 million. An important revenue forecast from the Chief Financial Officer will be released in February.

Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving reported that charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations were essentially flat for the three months ending in November 2010.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' new report found that "despite a deep recession, very high unemployment, and widespread hardship, a combination of existing safety net programs and temporary expansions all but prevented a rise in the poverty rate," according to The Lookout.

Casa de Maryland partnered with Bullis School, whose students collected more than 1,400 books for the group for delivery on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, according to Patch. Separately, Casa'sElizabeth Alex commented on the effects that a church closing will have on more than 200 Hispanic families on WBAL.

Voices for Virginia's Children'sJohn Morgan commented on the detrimental effects that a bill requiring students to indicate their immigration status before being admitted to public schools would have on immigrant children and families on Fox News.